Richard Wallwork painted a number of pastoral scenes involving sheep mustering, including a poster design for the Empire Marketing Board in 1927. In The Drover Wallwork uses slightly loose brushwork but is always in control of his medium. His paintings were carefully constructed in his studio, from studies made outdoors.
Born in Manchester, England, Wallwork first studied at the Manchester Municipal School of Art, then at the Royal College of Art. He spent 1909 studying in Paris, then taught at the Liverpool School of Art. Wallwork and his artist wife, Elizabeth (1883 -1969), came to New Zealand in 1911. He was the Life Instructor at the Canterbury College School of Art and eventually became Director in 1928. Wallwork was actively involved with the Canterbury Society of Arts, becoming President in 1927. From 1921 he also exhibited with the Australian Painters and Etchers Society in Sydney and Melbourne. Wallwork retired in 1945 but continued to paint up until shortly before his death.

The artist Richard Wallwork was born in Cheshire, England, and attended Manchester Municipal School of Art from 1901 - 1903 before continuing his studies at the Royal College of Art in 1904.

During his time there he studied mural and decorative painting courses under Gerald Moira and etching under Frank Short. He was a Royal Exhibitioner and Kings Prizeman in anatomy and life modelling. In 1908 he was awarded a travelling scholarship and spent the following year in Belgium and France. After a short time on the staff of the City Art School (Mount St) Liverpool in 1910 he accepted a position at the Canterbury College School of Art.

Following his arrival in Christchurch early in 1911 Wallwork taught life classes, painting, and etching.

In 1928 he was appointed Director of the School, a position he held until his retirement in 1946. As a working member of the Canterbury Society of Arts he was a regular exhibitor of portraits, landscapes and subject pictures like The Drover.

During the 1920s Richard Wallwork painted a number of works concerned with mustering or droving sheep in Canterbury. The Drover was painted in 1928 and was purchased the following year.